Greenfields/Les Chenes
I worked for a time with children with challenging behaviour, some of whom attended Les Chenes. I assisted the teachers and although I had not completed my Degree, I was also sent to the prison to teach a 15 year old, and I did some work at Grainville School and Haute Vallee.
I am following legal advice so I will not write about my experiences (and I've had legal aid before - over the disputed sale of my organic business to Graham Falle, and I know how useless that is). However, I'm sure I can say that the prison officers I met and some of the teachers and TA's at Haute Vallee were both very kind and very professional.
I'd also like to say that I have spoken to Simon Bellwood and think he has done a great job in progressing change in the care of vulnerable children. I personally know that years ago it was not easy to complain and to try and improve things in an organisation in which "toeing the line" leads to promotion is like swimming through mud.
It would be great to see all organisations have thorough whistleblowing structures in place.
Cyberbullying
Katy Ringsdore, a candidate in the Deputies' elections, has been derided online and called "vacuous", "a spoiled brat", "thick", "over-privileged", "stuck-up" and even dehumanised - "this Ringsdore thing". I have no problem with people making these sort of statements as long as they are known themselves. To think these things and then post them online, anonymously, is horrible and reminiscent of a mob.
And I would rather vote for a goose or a donkey as I don't follow her views at all, but I have no idea if she is spoiled, thick, stuck-up, etc.
I'm sure this sort of nastiness deters people from standing for election or even making their views known.
And then we get the non-story about Jeremy Macon. Does it really matter if his mother helps him? He is a new States Member. If his mother is answering his emails after he's settled into the States I expect that would suggest he's not ready to be Chief Minister, that's all. Some of the media seemed to revel in this story in a way not unlike the anonymous posters of hateful comments.
Anyway, I'd love to know about the people who tell many of the States Members what to think. How many of our elected members make up their own minds? How many will check with their "supporters" first?
Patenting
The patent for the invention I have been working on for the last few years has at last been filed with the UK IPO. If anyone wants some information about how to develop an invention I'm happy to share my experiences. Just remember not to disclose the details to anyone, at least not without a non-disclosure agreement.
Cinderella
Damn, I can't find it now, but I read a very interesting article in either the Guardian or Independent, in which the writer suggests we analyse fairy tales by imagining all the characters are parts of the same person. So, Cinderella must allow her nurturing, mothering side (fairy godmother) to develop her own self, so that she can be her true, admirable self, and not let her negativity (ugly sisters) persuade her into a life of servitude. (have to go now - back to work)
Advent Journey’s End
1 day ago
2 comments:
I did not deride Katy Ringsdore as vacuous, but I did criticise her policies (quite another matter) for being more like a set of good intentions (on the lines of "we must do more...") than anything voters could get a handle on. She was not the only one to have policy statements like that - Angela Jeune, for example, said words such as "I am able to make tough decisions if they need to be made" with no details whatsoever to enable voters to see what a "tough decision" might be, and how it might effect them. This Yes Minister waffle was prevalent in Katy Ringsdore, but not just her alone. To see the other side, just consider Ian Le Marquand's detailed assessment, with all the reasoning, about his position on GST. Or Sean Power, who to his great credit, ruled out any exemptions to GST, but still was elected despite the voters knowing where he stood on the matter (or perhaps because he was honest about it). To know what Katy or Angela thought about GST from their online webpages and manifestos was impossible - a lot of words, but nothing apart from vague generalities, which came to little more than "Vote for me, I'm a good person and I'll work hard"
Yes, I think the more criticism of policies, the better.
If candidates cannot research and discuss topics when trying to get elected, then they probably never will.
I hoped Suzette Hase would get elected as I saw on Planet Jersey that she could engage in intelligent discussion and had researched subjects carefully. For an example of waffle look at this http://rodbryans.com/
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